Natural hazards · Julian

Julian, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Julian comes from wildfires, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Julian?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Julian to be higher than in 100% of U.S. communities, mostly from wildfires.

Wildfire77%Inland flooding12%Earthquakes10%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Julian faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

77% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

12% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailWinter weatherHeat wavesLandslidesStrong windLightningAvalanchesVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingIce stormsCold wavesDroughtTsunamis

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Julian flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Julian.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Julian isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: San Diego County.

Disasters that hit Julian

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Julian itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Julian.

Brought FEMA money into JulianDeclared for San Diego County only

2024

Severe Storm and Flooding

4 households applied for aid

2020

Wildfires

2 households applied for aid

2007

Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows

177 households applied for aid $463 aid approved

2004

Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides

17 households applied for aid $17K aid approved

2003

Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T

991 households applied for aid $2.5M aid approved

San Diego County has had 44 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Julian is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Julian’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Julian. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.